Rating: 
Summary: REIGN OF FIRE
Review: 2020 A.D. The world's cities have been turned to ash, and humanity reduced to isolated pockets of lean survivors. The legends were true: dragons did exist, and only awaited the right time to emerge from their subterranean hibernation. Caught totally unawares, Man has all but succumbed to the dragons' tooth and claw.A story of survival against the odds, "Reign of Fire" is a great action-FX showcase that rises above its B-movie roots thanks to a serious, surprisingly character-driven script and several outstanding performances. Christian Bale is great as the leader of England's last clique of humans, and Matthew McConaughey is the intense, scene-chewing soldier who proves to Bale that the dragons can be defeated. Izabella Scorupco lends the film some patrician sex appeal as a daring chopper pilot under McConaughey's command. Director Rob Bowman is also smart not to overdo the dragons' screen-time--only seen when necessary, the dragons retain an awesomeness and mystery than might have been dulled by repetitive showing. Not that they don't stand up to scrutiny: the artificial beasts are perfectly convincing when they do show up. Though not deep, "Reign of Fire" is at least not pretentious, either. And for any sci-fi or fantasy fan, it's surely worth the trip to the theatre. Easily recommended.
Rating: 
Summary: Breathes life back into summer entertainment
Review: In the near future, the world is practically extinct as dragons control the land--burning crops and eating whatever person they can sink their teeth into. Christian Bale leads what remains of the British empire. Tranquility is lost when he lets rebellious commandos from the United States enter their fortress. The film depends on its human characters to tell the story, not special effects. The dragons actually play a small part in this story, which I appreciate. But when the dragons appear, they do look real--the entire film does except for one scene toward the end. This film could have gone in so many direction. But the writers and director decided to keep it as realistic as possible. And I think that made it better for me. With "Harry Potter 2" & "Lord of the Rings 2" coming out this winter, I think most of us will have more than our fill of "magic" for the year. 'Supernatural' things always intrigue me, but sometimes you just want realism. The previews do not do this film any justice. Anyone interested in something more light-hearted might like "Dungeons & Dragons" or the animated "Hercules".
Rating: 
Summary: NOT ENOUGH action, but PLENTY of drama
Review: If I had a choice between the comedy of "Dragonheart" and the drama of "Reign of Fire," I would definately, without a moment's hesitation, choose the latter. First of all, let's get one thing straight. This is not the fantasy dragon film you and I have been waiting for. As stated by a character in the film, there is nothing magical about these prehistoric beasts. They are as mortal as the dinosaurs in "Jurassic Park," though infinately more dangerous (obviously). The key to enjoying "Reign of Fire" is having the right expectations. This is not a pure, wall-to-wall action flick, which is what the ads imply. This is not even a fantasy flick. This is an apocalyptic sci-fi drama (key word: drama) about humanity, it's will to survive, the dangers, the risks, the rewards, the choices, the hindrances, etc, etc, etc. It bears the cliches of several genres, and while it never soars above its peers, it plays out like a breath of fresh air. Just don't breathe too deeply. While "Reign of Fire" contains the occasional monster-movie-esque run/chase/trap/escape/fight action sequence, the dragons are not that terrifying. They certainly scare the film's characters aplenty, but the fear never translates beyond the screen to the audience. The fact of the matter is, the dragons are secondary to the two main characters of the film, portrayed aptly enough by Bale and McConaughey. Bale is dark and broody and McConaughey is truly psychotic. He chews up the scenes with the best of them (re: Gary Oldman) and he's loving it. His character is a total nutjob who, excluding the "party-crashing" scene, brings much-needed lightness to an otherwise overly depressing film. And geez, the guy is huge. I was expecting to have a lot of fun with this one, but such was not the case. Lacking any jump-out-of-your-seat shocks or spine-tingling chills, the script is too bleak and dreary. The effect the dragons have on Bale and his band of refugees is readily palpable but oftentimes too burdening. Character development is slight but sufficient, with Bale's "Quinn" being the most fleshed out. Scorupco's high-flying "Alex" and Bale's adopted son "Jared" had potential to be great characters but were severely underused. Disappointing but not surprising. I wanted to fall in love with this movie, but alas, there are huge, distracting gaps of common sense in the script that don't hold up to scrutiny. Why do the dragons, supposedly super-smart, fight the humans singly when they outnumber them by the hundreds? How did the first dragon baby come to being with only a daddy to start with? And where in the heck did the humans get all that fuel and electricity?! But really, it's not worth dwelling on such flaws. Overlook them and "Reign of Fire" may just surprise you with its unflinching eye to despair and it genuine grasp of raw emotion. Plus the dragons look pretty darn cool. That is, when you actually get to see them. It's a sad thing when the best scene of the whole movie involves Bale, his friend, and a bunch of kids, but no dragons whatsoever. It's a smart scene that resonates on several layers of meaning by paying homage to the concept of an oral myth passed down through the generations. Unfortunately, the rest of the script never reaches the same intelligence and it becomes obvious the screenwriters struck gold by mistake. They were just telling an old Stars Wars joke. Another noteworthy scene is the elaborate skydiving dragon trap. It's stupid, impractical, inefficient, and ineffective, but it's an ultra-cool concept that results in some awesome visuals and the best thrills of the entire film. All in all, "Reign of Fire" is an unusual summer flick that's smarter and darker than your average blockbuster. It certainly could've used a bit more action, a better climax, smarter battles, a lot of charm, and a huge dose of prozac, but the film delivers enough oompf to meet expectations. One minor warning: Bale has a pretty thick accent and I couldn't follow alot of his dialogue. This probably didn't make much of a difference to my understanding of the film, but I found it very annoying nonetheless.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent!!!
Review: It was so good! It was such a change for Matthew McConaughey, but he was absolutely perfect for the role. As soon as the movie finished, my freind and I were thinking the same thing: We can't wait 'til this comes out on DVD! I would definitely recommend this movie! Go see it! The entire cast rocks, especially McConaughey!
Rating:
Summary: THREE AND A HALF STARS
Review: This is one tough movie. Let me set the scene... Underground in London, England a group of miners drill far into a cavern and reach a "void". They can't see too far inside, so they send the young son of one miner to peek inside for them. The young boy, Quinn steps into the warm hole and discovers an ancient cavern, only he isn't alone. Some very big creepy-crawly, scaled monsters begin to move and come to life. Quinn becomes instantly famous as the young boy who sets first eyes on a new modern terror. He saw a creature so ancient, that what was once myth will soon become an ungodly legend. He saw the dragons awake from hybernation to wreak havoc and death across the world. Fast forward to the year 2020. Quinn (a very buff Christian Bale from "American Psycho") lives in a run down fortress protecting families, friends, and children from the world of crispy-fried cities and the dangers of being seen by the dragons that have multiplied to millions. He and his residents live in fear. They learn survival techniques, but their future seems uncertain. Food, water, and safety aren't perfect designs in their system to stay alive. They run and they hide. Chapter two begins when Van Zan (Matthew McConaughey "The Wedding Planner") arrives as the American hero...the dragonslayer. He is the unwanted savior who decides to keep Quinn's people from hiding and share his secrets to his hunting success.
Once he and Quinn finish facing off man to man in some serious muscle-bulging fighting scenes, they agree to work together. The movie takes on an action packed tone that quickens the heart rate and clenches the jaw. A note about the atmosphere of the movie...It was very reminiscent of the original "Dragonslayer". Quinn's medieval, castle-like fortress and the foggy skies lend an ancient and sometimes religious symbolism to the movie. On the tough side..Van Zan has a rough, heavy arsenal of weapons to do his dirty work. Each man seems to represent a different era in time.
many scenes had a dirty Camelot feel, while others seemed more an ode to Mad Max films. The combination made the movie special. Why I didn't give this movie 5 stars: 1. Not enough close-ups with the dragons..They looked very convincing, but I wanted more. 2. The major action sequences are short. I expected an action packed movie, but a hefty percent of this movie takes place inside Quinn's fortress. 3. The ending..enough said there. It didn't work. 4. It should have been rated 'R'...ashed and torched soldiers are a bit much for younger adults. This movie is not the best summer flick. It can't compete with "Minority Report", but if you wan't some old fashioned thrills, lots of on your edge moments, and jaw dropping scenes...this is a great movie to see and own.
I highly recommend this to anyone who is a fan of the original "Dragonslayer" and wished it had more muscle. The Soundtrack may be promising as well. I recall hearing a great Hendrix song during a scene, but alas, I failed to catch the credits. Enjoy.
Rating:
Summary: FUN and Better than I expected
Review: IN a day when a lot of movies are affects extravaganzas with a weak story tagged on to justify the effects, Reign of Fire was an enjoyable change of pace. These folks have a fun story to tell, interesting characters you care about and plenty of action to satisfy my male appetite for adventure and destruction. If you're looking for wall to wall battle scenes, you won't find it here. I thought they struck a great balance between character development, a fun story and great action. JUST what I like. If the premise of a fantasy movie has to be scientifically plausible for a movie to be satisfying for you ... this might now work. But when a movie premise involves dragons, all I'm looking for is a reasonable effort to explain there presence ... and not only does ROF deliver that, but I thought the notion they came up with was original and fun. The characters were surprisingly compelling ... I really found myself caring about what happened to them. The fact that they learn to work together and grow from their experiences is more than I normally expect from a high energy action adventure flick. I'll see it again.
Rating:
Summary: Cool dragons, flimsy plot
Review: First of all, my actual rating of this movie is 3.5 stars, but since I can't rate using fractions of a star I decided to be generous. "Reign of Fire" starts with a young boy named Quinn going to visit his mother in the English mine where she works. He wanders over to where one of her co-workers has encountered a problem, and the man sends him into the hole he has dug. Inside, Quinn discovers a gigantic dragon that unleashes its fire on the mine, leaving a wake of destruction. Twenty years or so later, Quinn (Christian Bale) find himself the leader of a colony of survivors that have managed to evade the dragons and to survive the nuclear winter caused by humanity's attempts to destroy the dragons. Enter Van Zan (Matthew McConaughey), an American soldier with a mission to kill all dragons. Fate teams the unlikely pair together, and with the help of helicopter pilot Alex (Izabella Scorupco), they go on a quest to save the world. I found "Reign of Fire" to be somewhat of a disappointment in terms of plot. I was hoping for a lot more. The premise of the dragons-rule-the-world concept was cool and convincing in a fantasical sort of way, but it wasn't enough to carry the movie. From there, the plot sort of when downhill. It didn't flow smoothly, and I found the climax to be the greatest disappointment of all. It just seemed too easy at the end. The acting was more than adequate, but it just couldn't save the flimsy plot. However, the special effects were great (which is why I gave this 3.5 stars). The dragons were very realistic: they flew naturally and breathed fire just the way you would expect a dragon to. Even the dead dragons looked real. My one request would be that the dragons be given more screen time. Bottom Line: Awesome dragons, not much story. Only go if you like dragons, Christian Bale, or action movies.
Rating:
Summary: Those Eyes Man!!!
Review: You have seen the previews Quinn a British kid awakens an ancient dragon who then proceeds to touch the world. There is a brief interlude(and one of the better explations for current conditions of the movie in the entire history of the genre). We then find Christian Bale in charge of a group of survivors(along with a pitiful supplly of food and ammo. Along comes Matthew M ready to lead his troops into his liviing demonstration of Custer's Last Stand. Armed with glittering weapons (and bulging eyes) he sets out to win the hearts and minds of the people. So as for the movie itself you ask? Very good but they ruined it with the ending.
Rating:
Summary: scene on posters is not in the movie
Review: After weeks of seeing London burning in the midst of an all-out dragons vs. helicopters battle on the movie posters (and billboards, and official website), I was disappointed that this scene wasn't even in the movie--not even close. To mention all the points that are wrong with this fantasy image borders on spoiling details of the film, so all I can say is it is a fun movie nonetheless, but don't expect what you might expect from the promotional artwork .
Rating: 
Summary: God, what were they THINKING?!
Review: Let's just say, if you've seen Waterworld, you've seen Reign of Fire. Almost identical in the apocalyptic aftermath of a catsastrophic event and trying to right the wrong. This movie was slow and uninteresting. And even the dragons, which I thought could have possibly saved this movie, can't. They have so many holes in their wings, how the Hell can they fly? What would have made this movie better would have been if it had taken place in the PROCESS of the destruction. That would have been a much better movie with much more action. Maybe that's just my take on it. Anyway, this movie is terrible and I wouldn't reccommend it to my worst enemy.
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